In this highly anticipated follow-up to his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The Amateur, former New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief Edward Klein delves into the rocky relationship between the Obamas and the Clintons. An old-school reporter with incredible insider contacts, Klein reveals just how deep the rivalry between the Obamas and the Clintons runs, with details on closed-door meetings buttressed by hundreds of interviews.

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Publisher's Summary

In this highly anticipated follow-up to his blockbuster New York Times bestseller The Amateur, former New York Times Magazine editor-in-chief Edward Klein delves into the rocky relationship between the Obamas and the Clintons. An old-school reporter with incredible insider contacts, Klein reveals just how deep the rivalry between the Obamas and the Clintons runs, with details on closed-door meetings buttressed by hundreds of interviews. Blood Feud is a stunning exposé of the animosity, jealousy, and competition between America's two most powerful political couples.

This is the first one of these types of books I've bothered buying. Most just seem to be "juicy" gossip and while I'm sure this one has it's share of gossip, it also gives you a behind the scenes view of what is going on in this nation's government. It gives you a view as to how alliances are formed and why. Many of the things I have seen and been puzzled by are now clear. If you pair this with Pres Obama's Dreams from my Father and Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals it gives you a pretty clear picture as to the inner workings of what formed this man and his thinking. No matter what side of the political aisle you are on, or if you are on neither, you will find this book fascinating. As for the general tone of the book, there WERE times that I thought I was going to hear "this presentation is being brought to you by Hillary 2016".

If his sources are truthful and he has honestly told us the story without a strong bias, it is a fascinating book. The emphasis is on IF. I am conservative in my leanings and am easily persuaded that this author has represented these individuals accurately, and if he has, our nation is in real trouble. And if this is all true, it certainly gives a clearer understanding of recent events in our nation's history, such as the Benghazi debacle. However, it is difficult to believe the arrogance and self-serving character of our elected officials. I am praying that this is all an exaggeration regarding the woman we, most likely, will elect as our next president.

I'm a lawyer and mediator. I represent businesses in disputes with their insurers and in other complex litigation. I also assist machinery companies and manufacturers (primarily international) with equipment sales, non-disclosure agreements, and business issues. I also mediate commercial disputes.

This book is a great summer read. It is very well written, and the story moves along well from the beginning.

Klein has been criticized for re-creating scenes based on off-the-record or background interviews. Fair enough, I guess, but the overall narrative seems very consistent about what is well-known about the Clintons and the Obamas. It also seems highly unlikely that sources would have spoken on the record.

How do the four main characters fare? Not very well: From flawed but competent to flawed but incompetent. Bill Clinton is definitely the most interesting character and clearly is the only one who seems to have the pulse of middle America. This is not surprising since he grew up Arkansas, while Obama grew up in Hawaii, and Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton both came from privileged backgrounds in Illinois.

One thing that is absolutely clear from this narrative is that both the Clintons and the Obamas live like royalty; actually, probably better than royalty. The Clintons have multiple palatial residences in New York, D.C., and Little Rock and fly wherever they want (with Secret Service protection) on private jets. So much for Hillary putting her foot in her mouth about being "dead broke." The Obamas command Air Force 1 like they owned it, jetting off to Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard and other playgrounds of the rich. Michelle Obama, in particular, seems to have no reluctance about spending the taxpayers' money.

My conclusion: Unfortunately, our country has suffered from making some bad choices. You probably have to be a bit of a narcissist even to run for president, but this crew takes the cake. Bill Clinton, for all his flaws, is a brilliant politician who was practical enough to make a deal with the other side. Obama is a brilliant campaigner who is out of his league as an executive, being led around by Valerie Jarrett and Michelle, paying attention only to a leftist political agenda when he pays attention at all. Hillary Clinton is a good manager, but has none of Bill's political talents, and has a heap of scandals in her past. Both Clintons have serious health issues.

Obama's vs Clinton's, I am not sure which would like/hate this book more. Hillary is portrayed as a pawn of Bill, and Barack is shown as one who is managed by no names. eh...interesting read non-the-less.

even if 50% of the information is true, there must be something there. That's kind of how I felt about this one, given the author's admitted hatred of Democratic politics. I like President Obama, though have felt frustrated by his "hands off" approach to the actual political process, until recently at least. In a sense, I can't argue that the White House team did behave amateurishly in terms of letting their opponents define them on issues. I'm no fan of the Clintons either, though I felt Hillary managed her best to bring her people to the nominee's side for a 2008 win. I've never been a fan of Bill since he appeared on the national scene in 1992 - ugh. Here, he's bitter and obsessed over the way he and Hillary have been treated by the Obamas since 2008. Supposedly, his 2012 all-out effort on behalf of Obama was motivated by fantasies of a "third term" (his, or Hillary's, they'll have to thrash out if and when it happens), with Obama obliged to strongly support Hillary from the moment she announces (which the author absolutely asserts she will). I was left unsure whether such an agreement really existed, or is something Bill felt was implied? The bottom line is that the un-named sources were likely present during the events, giving (relatively) accurate reports for the book, even if spun rather ... dramatically. So, I found the book worth reading, even if the author's bias did intrude a lot. Of the four principals, Hillary came off as the most sympathetic, and Barack as the most negative, with his aloof manner, allowing himself to be duped by the modern day Rasputin, Valerie Jarrett. I had a very hard time reconciling the largely upbeat-in-interviews Michelle with the entitled prima donna she is portrayed as having become; the truth must be a little of both, but how much I couldn't say.

Have you listened to any of Lars Mikaelson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Nope. First one.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Smoke and MIrrors.

Any additional comments?

Takes your breath away bringing to light all the backdoor, under the table, borderline illegal political deal making. The American people are blind, ignorant and oblivious of where our country is headed. Wake up people and pay attention.

If you watch the news at all, this book is just plain repetitive. Also, if you read closely, there is no way that these stories can be sourced unless they ask the person involved to defame them self. Many stories have to be conjecture, thus undermining the author's story.

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